Wednesday, June 24, 2015

A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps

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Today's post is on A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps by Chris West. It is 336 pages long including index and notes. It is published by Picador. The cover is blue with six different stamps on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in American history and stamps. There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this book. The story is told from the third person with first interviews and other documents added in. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Discover the incredible story of America through its beautiful and diverse postage stamps in this exuberant and always charming history.
in A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps, Chris West explores America's own rich philatelic history. From George Washington's dour gaze to the charging buffalo of the western frontier and Lindbergh's soaring biplane, American stamps are a vivid window into our country's extraordinary and distinctive past. With the always accessible and spirited West as your guide, discover the remarkable breadth of America's short history through a fresh lens.
On their own, stamps can be curiosities, even artistic marvels; in this book, stamps become a window into the larger sweep of history.

Review- An interesting walk through American history. West starts with the very first stamp issued in America and goes all the way to present day, where you can now make your stamps look anyway you want. At times it was a little slow to read but if you are willing to push through that you get an interesting view of America and American life. In addition to American history you get a history of how stamps were and are made; not something I knew much about. West is very passionate about his subject and he knows his stamps. In the back of the book before the index he goes over each stamp for its own value as a stamp for stamp collectors or those just learning about it. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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